The Poverty of Nations: A Sustainable Solution

This 2013 book was co-authored by me and by my good friend Barry Asmus, a professional economist. (Barry and I have also served together as elders at Scottsdale Bible Church.) For more information about Barry Asmus see http://www.barryasmus.com/

In writing The Poverty of Nations, we found that our different academic backgrounds (Barry in economics, Wayne in Christian theology and biblical studies) led us to agree on the only way to solve world poverty.

Our solution is a complex one, ultimately involving seventy-eight factors. This is because we are convinced that the causes of continuing poverty are also complex. These seventy-eight factors fall in three categories that affect an entire nation: national laws, economic policies, and cultural values.

We think this book is unique because (a) it approaches world poverty from the combined perspective of Christian theology and economics, and (b) it approaches the question of poverty not at the level of the individual person or community (where much good work is already being done), but at the level of the whole nation.